University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


This  little  book  will  be  sent  to  any  address  free,  upon,  application  to 

J.  H.  BENNETT, 

Geri'l  Pass. Agent  Rio  Grande  Western  Ry. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY. 
S.  K.  HOOPER, 

Geq'l  Pass.  Agerjt  Denser  &  Rio  Grande  R.  R. 

DENVER,  COLO. 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

S.  K.  HOOPER  AND  <I.H.  BENNETT 
1890 


DESCRIBING  THE  GARDEN  OF  UTAH 


THE   TWO   GREAT  CITIES 


SALT   LAKE   AND   OGDEN 


ISSUED  UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OK  THE  PASSENGER  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE 

DENVER  &  RIO  GRANDE 

AND 

RIO  GRANDE  WESTERN  RAILROADS 


CHICAGO 

R.    R.    DONNELLEY     &     SONS     COMPANY 
1890 


Full  inforrriatiori  r\ow  to  reach  Utah,  with  rates  of  fare,   etc.     will  be 
cheerfully  furnished  upor[  application  to 


F.  A   WADLEIGH,  Ass't  Geq'l  Pass.  Agent,  D.  &.  R.  G.  R.  R. 

DENVER,  COL. 

W.  B.  COBB,  Gen'l  Eastern  Agent,  D,  &  R.  G.  R.  R. 

317  Broadway,  NEW  YORK. 

J.  W.  SLOSSON,  Act,  Geq'l  Agent,  D.  &.  R.  G.  R.  R, 

236  Clark  Street,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 

L  B.  EVELAND,  Trav.  Pass.  Ageqt,  D.  &  R.  G.  R.  R. 

105  Niqth.  Street,  KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 

W.  F.  TIBBITFS,  Trav.  Pass.  Agent,  D.  &.  R.  G.  R.  R. 

DENVER,  COL. 

A.  N.  OLIVER,  City  Pass.  Agent,  D.&  R.  G.  R.  R. 

DENVER,  COL. 

W.  H.  SNEDAKER,  Geq'l  Agent  Pass.  Dept.  R.  G.  W.  Ry. 

No   14  Montgomery  Street,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


PREFACE. 

THE  one  fact  that  everybody  knows  about  Utah  is  that 
it  is  the  seat  of  the  Mormon  Church,  beyond  this  the 
majority  of  people  have  never  sought  to  investigate. 
The  vast  improvements  wrought  by  the  industrious  and  frugal 
pioneers  of  Utah,  the  great  natural  resources  of  the  territory, 
the  balm  of  its  health  giving  and  invigorating  climate,  the  won- 
ders of  its  majestic  mountains,  the  sylvan  beauties  of  its  un- 
rivalled valleys,  the  new  relations  of  amity  and  progress  that 
have  sprung  into  life  between  all  the  religious  sects  of  the 
territory,  and  especially  in  Salt  Lake  City,  the  enterprise 
of  energetic  railroads,  the  building  of  great  irrigating 
canals,  the  establishment  of  manufactories,  the  growth  of  min- 
ing, in  short,  all  those  great  strides  towards  absolute  pre-em- 
inence, which  Utah  has  made,  have  been  to  a  great  extent 
ignored  in  the  past.  It  is  to  correct  this  mistaken  judgment, 
or  rather  to  give  facts  upon  which  a  correct  judgment  may  be 
formed,  that  this  little  book  has  been  written. 

There  is  no  line  of  argument  so  convincing  as  a  calm  and 
judicious  presentation  of  facts  and  figures.  Eloquent  phrases 
may  please  the  fancy,  fervent  rhetoric  may  touch  the  heart, 
but  dispassionate  and  truthful  words  alone  can  convince  the 
judgment.  It  is  to  the  judgment  of  the  reader  that  the  present 
work  is  addressed  and  therefore  fact  has  been  given  the  pre- 
cedence of  fancy,  and  no  statement  has  been  ventured  that 
can  not  be  fully  sustained  by  mathematical  demonstration. 
This  being  the  case  further  comment  is  unnecessary,  and  this 
little  book  is  submitted  as  a  frank  statement  of  fact  for  judicial 
consideration. 


THE    GROWTH    OF    UTAH. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GROWTH  OF  UTAH  TERRITORY. 

WHEN  in  1847  the  leaders  of  the  Mormon  People 
settled  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley  and  began  the 
up-building  of  this  valley  and  its  great  central  city, 
they  little  dreamed  of  the  future  possibilities  of  their  new  home. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  before  they  began  to  realize  that  the 
resources  and  possibilities  of  this  wonderful  country  far  ex- 
•ceeded  their  most  sanguine  expectations  and  accordingly,  under 
the  leadership  of  Brigham  Young,  (who  was  an  organizer  and 
.an  executive  officer  with  abilities  of  a  degree  which  merit  the 
admiration  of  all  persons,)  was  laid  the  foundation  for  a  city, 
upon  a  scale  which  is  to-day  the  admiration  of  all  who  visit  it. 
They  laid  out  that  city  in  blocks,  660  feet  square,  with  streets 
132  feet  wide.  Along  either  side  of  these  streets  were  planted 
shade  trees,  which  now  make  Salt  Lake  a  lovely  city  in  the 
summer  season,  with  the  streams  of  water  running  down  either 
side  of  these  broad  avenues  and  a  splendid  system  of  water 
works,  fed  by  pure  fresh  mountain  creeks.  Beautiful  drives  in 
the  spacious  Parks  excite  the  admiration  of  all.  The  whole 
•city,  with  its  rich  lawns,  fragrant  flowers,  gardens  and  stately 
shade,  is  one  veritable  bower,  nestled  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of 
mountains  whose  picturesque  grandeur  enhances  the  beauty  of 
the  scene. 

But  Salt  Lake  City  will  be  fully  described  in  succeeding 
•chapters,  and  it  is  concerning  the  Territory  of  Utah  that  we 
wish  to  speak  now.  During  the  first  quarter  of  a  century  after 
the  arrival  of  Brigham  Young  and  his  followers,  they  were  sub- 
stantially the  sole  occupants  of  the  Territory.  They  knew  there 
were  minerals  in  the  hills,  but  preferred  to  devote  themselves 
•solely  to  agricultural,  horticultural  and  manufacturing  pursuits. 
The  knowledge  got  abroad,  early  in  the  seventies,  however,  and 
resulted  in  the  influx  of  a  host  of  miners  and  prospectors  who 


THE    GROWTH    OF    UTAH. 


meantime  have  become  a  part  of  the  permanent  population. 
Under  the  supervision  which  Congress  exercises  over  a  Terri- 
tory, causes  of  alienation  and  strife  between  the  Mormon  and 
Gentile  have  to  some  extent  been  outgrown,  removed  or  placed 
in  process  of  removal  and  extinction.  The  relations  of  the  two 
classes  have  softened,  and  with  the  passing  years  are  growing 
fraternal  instead  of  antagonistic. 

Within  the  last  two  years  the  desirableness  of  Utah,  consid- 
ered as  a  place  of  residence,  has  apparently  for  the  first  time 
dawned  upon  the  people.  The  subject  has  become  the  favorite 
theme.  Schemes  for  the  improvement  of  so  fair  a  heritage 
and  for  making  known  its  advantages  abroad,  involving  the  co- 
operation of  all  classes,  have  come  in  vogue,  and  associations 
of  business  men  have  been  formed  in  the  principal  towns  to 
give  direction  and  support  to  local  ambition  and  effort  in  the 
direction  of  both  moral  and  material  advancement.  To  the 
visitor,  to  all  who  are  seeking  new  homes,  these  associations 
present  Utah  as  in  many  respects  the  most  inviting  field  left 
open  for  occupation  to-day. 

The  population  of  Utah  is  estimated  at  215,000,  of  which 
nearly  if  not  quite  one-third  are  non-Mormon.  The  assessed 
valuation  for  1888  was  $46,379,969,  about  40  per  cent  of  the 
real  value,  namely,  $115,949,920.  Add  to  this  20  per  cent  for 
mines,  which  are  not  taxed,  and  it  appears  that  property  worth 
{$139,139,984  has  been  created  in  Utah  in  forty-one  years.  The 
products  of  the  Territory  for  1888  are  fairly  estimated  as  fol- 
lows (first  two  items  not  estimated): 

Gold,  silver,  lead,  copper,  Salt  Lake  prices — • $  7  557,241 

Coal,  253,000  tons,  $2.10  at  the  mines 531,300 

Agricultural  and  horticultural,  about 8,000,000 

Dairy,    eggs,  poultry,  etc.,  about 1,000,000 

Increase  of  live  stock  at  30  per   cent --  5,000,000 

Wool,  Q, 000,000  Ibs.  at  I2c  per  Ib _ i, 080,000 

Lumber,  hides,  and  pelts,  salt,  brick -.^ 1,000,000 

Other  manufactured  articles,  about 5,000,000 

Total $29.168,541 


THE    GROWTH    OF    UTAH. 


BEE     HIVE     HOUSE. 

The  total  land  area  is  52,501,600  acres;  water  area,  1,779,- 
200  acres.  The  Uintas,  the  Wasatch,  and  the  High  Plateaus, 
constitute  a  considerable  part  of  the  total  area.  The  Territory 
is  exceedingly  interesting,  geologically,  and  has  been  very 
thoroughly  examined,  mapped  and  described,  by  the  Powell 
Survey.  In  1877  officers  connected  with  the  Survey  measured 
the  streams  and  the  lands  they  can  be  brought  upon,  and  cal- 
culating the  irrigating  duty  at  100  acres  per  cubic  foot  per 
second,  limited  the  irrigable-arable  lands  to  2,262  square  miles. 
Later  estimates  place  the  area  at  3,000  square  miles.  A  certain 
40  square  miles  in  Valencia,  Spain,  under  the  canals  of  the 
Turia,  sustain  70,960  souls.  At  one-fourth  of  this  density  of 
population,  our  3,000  square  miles  would  sustain  1,323,000  souls. 


THE    GROWTH    OF    UTAH. 


Major  Powell  estimates  the  timber  region  at  18,500  square 
miles;  standing  timber  at  10,000;  milling  timber  at  2, 500  square 
miles.  The  timber  is  sufficient,  he  says,  for  the  industrial  wants 
of  the  country,  if  it  can  be  protected  from  the  fires  started  by 
the  Indians  to  drive  the  game.  Since  Major  Powell  wrote,  this 
has  been  practically  accomplished  by  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
to  reservations. 

The  grazing  lands  lie  between  the  high  timber  lands  and  the 
low  farming  lands.  The  grass  is  scanty  but  nutritious.  The 
minimum  area  of  a  pasturage  farm  in  the  best  pasturage  lands 
Major  Powell  places  at  4  square  miles.  Wherever  grass  grows, 
he  says,  water  may  be  found  or  saved  from  the  rains  in  suffi- 
cient quantity  for  all  the  herds  that  can  live  on  the  pasturage. 

About  13,000,000  acres  have  been  surveyed  to  date.  Per- 
haps one-fifth  of  this  area,  inclusive  of  15,000  acres  of  coal  and 
1,500  silver  mines,  has  been  disposed  of  under  the  various  land 
laws.  About  500,000  acres  are  cultivated. 

Although  crops  are  grown  in  favorable  localities  without  ir- 
rigation, yet  irrigation  is  indispensable  to  the  Utah  farmer. 
With  the  acequias  made,  watering  costs  at  the  outside  $3.50  an 
acre.  At  the  same  time  it  enriches  the  land  and  assures  a  full 
crop.  Civilization  is  indigenous  only  in  rainless  countries  where 
man  controls  seed  time  and  harvest.  Any  farmer  in  the  world 
might  well  choose  to  do  his  own  watering  (if  he  could)  rather 
than  be  subjected  to  the  capricious  skies  which  bend  above  the 
"  humid  "  region. 

In  no  part  of  the  Union  are  all  sorts  of  minerals  found  in 
greater  variety  and  abundance  than  in  Utah.  Coal  is  mined  on 
both  fronts  of  the  Wasatch  and  of  the  High  Plateaus  from  the 
Uintas  to  the  Colorado  River.  The  yearly  output  exceeds  250,- 
ooo  tons  and  might  as  well  be  ten  times  that.  The  coal  beds 
are  sufficient  to  supply  Utah  and  all  the  region  west  to  the 
Pacific  for  generations. 

Remarkable  bodies  of  iron  ores  occur  in   Iron  County,  and 


THE    GROWTH    OF    UTAH. 


ordinary  deposits  in  sundry  localities,  some  of  them,  as  analyses 
indicate,  Bessemer  ores. 

There  are  practically  illimitable  fields  of  brimstone,  ledges 
of  rock  salt,  antimony  and  cinnabar  mines,  and  in  Great  Salt 
Lake  an  inexhaustible  storehouse  of  salts  and  chemicals 
There  are  indications  of  oil  and  gas  in  Green  River  Valley, 
reefs  of  sandstone  saturated  with  asphalt,  veins  of  black  pitch 
(gilsonite),  stringers  and  bunches  of  natural  paraffine  (ozoker- 
ite), mineral  resin,  and  other  rare  and  curious  hydro-carbons. 

The  yearly  output  of  the  Utah  lead-silver  mines  is  about  165,- 
ooo  tons  of  ore,  four-fifths  of  which  is  reduced  in  Utah  mills 
and  furnaces;  the  product  worth,  at  seaboard  prices,  about 
$10,000,000.  All  over  the  Territory  are  found  the  best  of 
structural  and  fertilizing  materials.  Nothing  but  capital  is 
needed  to  double  the  mineral  output  both  in  value  and  variety. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Utah  has  been  bountifully  endowed  by 
nature,  and  that  man  has  made  very  good  use  of  his  opportun- 
ities. The  people  as  a  rule  own  their  little  properties.  These 
are  not  heavily  mortgaged  as  in  the  "  humid  "  region.  There 
is  no  respect  in  which  the  condition  of  the  dwellers  in  the  min- 
ing part  of  the  "  arid  belt  "  is  not  superior  to  that  of  the  people 
occupying  the  purely  agricultural  States.  Diversity  of  pursuits 
is  the  occasion  of  this  superiority.  On  no  account  would  the 
men  of  the  "  desert"  exchange  places  with  the  men  of  the  prai- 
rie, but  they  are  willing  the  latter  should  come  out  and  share 
their  advantages.  The  "  frontier  "  was  jumped  as  it  were  from 
the  Hundredth  Meridian  to  the  Pacific;  it  is  now  returning 
upon  its  course,  this  time  on  the  ground  instead  of  in  the  air. 
The  ever  advancing  tide  from  the  East  is  now  met  by  a  reflex 
tide  from  the  West,  and  the  meeting  place  is  in  the  longitude 
of  Salt  Lake  Valley. 


SALT    LAKE    CITY. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SALT    LAKE    CITY. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY  is  one  of  the  most  beautifully 
located  cities  on  this  continent.  It  possesses  elements 
of  beauty  in  such  variety  and  of  such  superior  char- 
acter as  are  not  to  found  in  any  other  one  city  in  America.  To 
the  tourist,  the  pleasure  seeker,  health  seeker,  or  to  the  man  of 
means  who  is  looking  for  a  new  location  or  for  a  place  in  which 
to  make  an  investment,  Salt  Lake  City  presents  greater  attrac- 
tions than  are  to-day  presented  by  any  other  growing  city  of 
the  United  States.  There  clusters  about  Salt  Lake  City  mat- 
ters of  historic  interest,  which  are  peculiar  to  herself,  and  will 
always  be  a  source  of  interest  to  all  classes  of  people. 

When  the  emissaries  sent  out  by  the  Mormon  Church, 
after  their  removal  from  Illinois  to  Missouri,  returned  to  their 
people  and  reported  that  in  the  discharge  of  their  work  they 
had  selected  as  their  future  home  the  wonderful  Valley  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  they  rendered  a  service  of  inestimable  value, 
for  which  they  should  ever  be  rewarded  with  the  grateful 
remembrances  of  their  own  people,  and  also  of  the  Gentiles, 
who  have  since  learned  to  appreciate  the  wisdom  these  emis- 
saries displayed  in  making  the  selection  which  they  did. 
Without  doubt  there  is  no  place  where  there  can  be  found  such 
an  harmonious  intermingling  and  blending  of  the  elements 
which  constitute  a  foundation  for  the  up  building  of  a  prosper- 
ous country  with  a  great  central  Metropolitan  City  as  is 
exhibited  in  this  great  Inter  Mountain  Country,  consisting  of 
Utah,  Western  Colorado,  Northern  Arizona,  Nevada,  Idaho, 
Eastern  Oregon  and  Wyoming,  with  Salt  Lake  City  as  the 
natural,  the  established  and  the  assured  Railway,  Commercial, 
Financial,  Manufacturing,  Educational  and  Social  Center. 
That  Salt  Lake  is  without  a  doubt  (and  without  a  rival)  the 


SALT    LAKE  CITY. 


TRAMWAY    IN     LITTLE     COTTONWOOD     CANON. 

Metropolis  of    this  vast    and   productive  section  of    country, 
•which  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  is  a  truth  which  is  self  evident. 

To  the  seeker  for  health,  pleasure  or  profit  there  is  no  more 
attractive  point  than  Salt  Lake  City.  From  out  of  the  foot  of  the 
Wasatch  Mountains,  which  form  the  background  of  the  picture 
just  presented,  flow  numerous  thermal  and  mineral  springs, 
whose  medicinal  and  curative  qualities  have  long  been,  and  are 
•constantly  being,  practically  tested  by  invalids  from  all  parts  of 
.the  United  States.  Hundreds  of  the  present  residents  of  Salt 


SALT    LAKE    CITY.  13 


Lake  City,  who  came  here  in  search  of  lost  health,  are  to-day 
living,  sound  in  body  and  in  health,  testifying  to  the  wonderfully 
beneficial  results  of  the  springs,  the  baths  and  the  climate  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  which  latter  for  lung  and  bronchial  troubles  is 
pronounced  by  eminent  authorities  to  be  unexcelled,  and  by 
a  gentleman  who  has  made  a  close  study  of  the  subject  and 
whose  observations  are  based  upon  practical  experience  with 
cases  in  Salt  Lake  City,  her  climate  is  very  highly  recom- 
mended for  people  afflicted  with  heart  disease  or  troubles  of  a 
nervous  character.  The  bathing  at  the  various  warm  and  hot 
springs  possesses  wonderful  curative  properties. 

Members  of  the  leading  religious  societies  or  organizations 
can  find  here,  in  flourishing  condition,  the'  representative 
churches,  and  strong  congregations  of  their  respective  sects. 
The  talent  in  the  pulpits  as  well  as  the  services  and  the  music 
of  our  various  churches,  are  up  to  the  standard  of  eastern 
cities.  A  place  of  great  interest  to  all  people,  whether  of  a 
religious  turn  of  mind  or  not,  is  the  great  Tabernacle  of  the 
Church  of  Latter-day  Saints  of  Jesus  Christ,  or,  as  it  is  ordi- 
narily termed,  the  Mormon  Church.  Each  Sunday  afternoon  at 
2  o'clock  this  immense  structure,  which  is  one  of  the  largest 
auditoriums  in  this  country  and  possesses  acoustic  properties 
unequalled  by  any  other  structure  in  America,  is  crowded  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  which  is  13,462.  It  is  250  feet  long,  150  feet 
wide,  90  feet  high,  oval-shaped,  with  an  arched  roof  unsup- 
ported by  columns.  This  is  the  largest  span  of  unsupported 
wooden  roof  in  the  world.  The  interior  construction  is  so 
perfect  that  the  dropping  of  a  pin  can  be  heard  in  any 
part  of  the  immense  auditorium.  The  grand  organ  in  the 
Tabernacle,  the  second  largest  in  America,  has  3,000  pipes, 
and  is  used  as  an  accompaniment  for  a  well-trained  choir  of 
200  voices.  Large  numbers  of  Gentiles  attend  these  services. 
In  the  same  square  of  ten  acres,  is  the  Temple,  a  beautiful 
structure  of  native  gray  granite.  The  corner  stone  of  this 
building  was  laid  April  6th,  1853.  The  structure  is  200  feet 


14  SALT    LAKE    CITY. 


long,  99  feet  wide,  and  has  cost  up  to  date  three  and  one-half 
million  dollars,  and  will  require  a  million  more  to  finish  it. 
The  Assembly  Hall  in  the  same  block  is  also  of  white  granite; 
it  is  120  by  68  feet,  has  a  seating  capacity  of  2,500,  cost  $150,- 
ooo  and  has  the  most  elaborately  decorated  interior  of  any 
building  in  the  West.  The  Endowment  House,  where  the 
marriage,  baptism  and  endowment  ceremonies  were  performed 
previous  to  the  completion  of  the  Temples  in  the  Territory,  is 
there  in  the  same  square.  The  Lion  House,  opposite  the 
Amelia  Palace,  was  known  as  the  residence  of  ten  of  Brigham 
Young's  wives.  It  is  located  in  the  same  block  with  the  Bee 
Hive,  which  was  Brigham  Young's  Executive  Building  of  the 
Church.  Next  tt>  this  is  the  President's  office.  The  Tithing 
House,  where  are  collected  the  tithings,  is  in  the  same  block 
with  the  Bee  Hive  and  the  Lion  House.  Across  the  street  in 
front  of  the  Bee  Hive  is  the  Amelia  Palace,  or  the  Gardo 
House,  which  was  built  by  Brigham  Young  as  a  residence  for 
his  favorite  wife,  Amelia  Folsom  Young.  The  Eagle  Gate  is 
an  archway  surmounted  by  a  large  eagle,  and  spans  First  East 
street,  or  State  Road  as  it  is  called.  Fort  Douglas  is  a  Regi- 
mental Post  situated  three  miles  east  of  the  center  of  the  city, 
and  is  at  an  elevation  of  about  400  feet  above  the  city  proper. 
The  site  is  beautiful  and  affords  a  lovely  view  of  the  entire 
valley,  city  and  lake.  The  post  and  grounds  are  regularly 
irrigated  and  accordingly  kept  in  beautiful  condition. 

The  Warm  and  Hot  Springs  are  located  in  the  north  part 
of  the  city  and  are  grealy  prized  for  their  wonderful  curative 
qualities.  Water  from  these  springs  is  piped  to  the  city,  where 
splendid  baths  are  provided  in  a  large  Natatorium,  centrally 
located. 

At  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which  has  temporary  rooms 
while  waiting  for  the  completion  of  its  new  building,  there  is  to 
be  seen  a  very  fine  collection  of  the  mineral,  agricultural,  manu- 
facturing and  other  resources  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  and  the 
City  of  Salt  Lake.  Any  one  desiring  to  procure  a  proper  idea 


l6  SALT    LAKE    CITY. 

of  the  variety  and  extent  of  these  resources  and  the  future 
possibilities  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  Utah,  or  who  may  want  any 
printed  or  illustrated  matter  concerning  the  City  or  Territory 
should  not  fail  to  visit  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  No.  71 
West  Second  South  street. 

As  was  before  stated  Salt  Lake  City  is  one  of  the  best 
amusement  and  theatrical  cities  of  its  size  in  the  West,  and  sup- 
ports two  first-class  theaters,  the  Grand  Opera  House  and  the 
Salt  Lake  Theater,  which  are  occupied  almost  constantly  by  the 
very  best  organizations  that  cross  the  continent. 

Other  points  of  great  interest  are  the  Z.  C.  M.  I.  boot  and 
shoe  and  other  factories,  institutions  which  have  grown  up  and 
are  highly  creditable  to  the  city.  The  magnitude  of  these 
institutions  is  ample  evidence  of  the  extent  to  which  any  and 
all  lines  of  manufacturing  may  be  developed  here  for  supply- 
ing the  vast  territory  tributary  to  Salt  Lake  City. 

Salt  Lake  is  noted  for  being  one  of  the  best  hotel  cities  in 
the  country,  and  in  order  to  meet  the  rapidly  growing  demands 
of  the  traveling  public  there  are  now  under  construction  two  im- 
mense hotels  of  three  hundred  rooms  each,  which  will  cost 
half  a  million  of  dollars  apiece. 

There  are  in  successful  operation  in  this  city  manufac- 
turing establishments  of  the  following  character:  Boots  and 
shoes,  knitting  and  overall,  silk,  woolen  and  paper  mills,  tan- 
neries, confectioneries,  fence  and  mattress  factories,  cracker 
factories,  show  case  makers,  stone  works,  brick  yards  (with 
splendid  quality  of  clay  for  building,  for  fire  and  paving  brick, 
in  inexhaustible  quantities)  aerated  water  works,  roller  grist 
mills,  cigar  factories,  vinegar  factories,  soap  factories,  salt  re- 
fining works,  chemical  works,  glass  works,  wooden  work 
establishments,  printing,  book-binding,  lithographing,  brewery, 
etc.,  etc.  The  statistics  taken  in  1887  show  that  over  five 
thousand  employes  were  engaged  in  these  various  industries. 
There  are  splendid  fields  here  in  all  lines  of  manufacturing 


SALT    LAKE    CITY.  17 


which  have  been  found  profitable  at  any  of  the  manufacturing 
centers  of  the  East. 

The  wholesale  business  of  Salt  Lake  City  was  in  round 
numbers  last  year  six  million  dollars.  This,  like  the  manufac- 
turing business,  presents  a  splendid  field  for  development  in 
any  department  to  be  mentioned. 

Outside  wholesalers  are  just  now  beginning  to  appreciate 
the  fact  that  Salt  Lake  City  is  destined  to  be  the  next  great 
commercial  center  in  the  westward  march  of  empire,  and 
almost  daily  new  mercantile  enterprises  are  being  established 
either  on  a  retail  or  a  wholesale  scale,  and  numerous  firms 
engaged  in  the  retail  business  are  branching  out  rfs  wholesale 
establishments. 

As  to  her  public  improvements  Salt  Lake  City  is  far  in 
advance  of  many  other  cities  of  her  size  in  the  East.  Besides 
having  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water,  she 
has  one  of  the  most  thorough  systems  of  electric  lighting,  both 
arc  and  incandescent,  to  be  seen  in  the  United  States,  all  of 
her  streets  being  brilliantly  lighted  all  night. 

In  addition  to  a  very  complete  telephone  system,  consist- 
ing of  over  five  hundred  instruments,  the  city  has  an  American 
District  Telegraph  messenger  service. 

Her  gas  plant  supplies  a  good  quality  of  gas  at  prices  usually 
prevailing  in  cities  of  her  size.  In  addition  to  the  present 
company  there  is  now  applying  for  a  franchise  a  company 
which  proposes  to  furnish  gas  for  light,  fuel  and  power  pur- 
poses at  a  very  low  degree,  so  low  in  fact  that  it  will  be  cheaper 
for  manufacturing  and  domestic  purposes  than  soft  coal,  of 
which  latter,  by  the  way,  there  is  an  inexhaustible  supply  and 
of  very  superior  quality  to  south  and  east  of  Salt  Lake  City. 
For  smaller  manufacturing  institutions,  such  as  do  not  care  to 
invest  in  separate  power  plants,  or  for  large  ones  who  find  it  more 
profitable  to  utilize  a  cheap  power  furnished  by  electricity 
derived  from  the  utilization  of  the  immense  water  power  found 
in  the  mountain  streams  emptying  into  the  Valley  of  the  Great 


OGDEN     RIVER. 


SALT    LAKE    CITY.  .  19 


Salt  Lake,  there  is  now  being  perfected  a  company  which  will 
put  in  plants  to  develop  many  thousands  of  horse  power  for 
distribution  throughout  the  city 

The  street  railway  system  in  Salt  Lake  City  is  as  thorough 
and  efficient  as  could  be  desired  anywhere.  The  latest  im- 
proved electric  lines  are  in  successful  operation  on  twenty-two 
miles  of  track  belonging  to  the  Salt  Lake  Street  Car  Cbmpany, 
which  is  soon  to  replace  with  electricity  its  eight  miles  of  horse 
car  lines  yet  in  use.  With  its  extensions  to  be  made  in  the 
immediate  future  and  the  construction  of  the  electric  lines  by 
two  other  companies.  Salt  Lake  City  will  have,  by  the  end  of 
1890,  no  less  than  fifty  miles  of  splendidly  equipped  electric 
street  railways. 

There  is  now  nearing  completion  a  splendid  system  of  sewer- 
age, consisting  of  over  eleven  and  a  half  miles  of  sewers. 

Active  operations  for  paving  the  principal  business  and  resi- 
dence streets  of  the  city,  have  already  begun,  and  the  contracts 
are  now  let  for  paving  of  the  best  character  upon  other  streets, 
which  will  mean  the  employment  of  a  vast  amount  of  labor  and 
the  substantial  development  of  the  city. 

For  the  residence  portions  of  the  city  there  is  in  contempla- 
tion a  plan  by  which  the  centers  and  sides  of  Salt  Lake's  broad 
avenues  will  be  parked,  seeded  down  to  blue  grass  and  set  in 
trees  with  paving  on  either  side  of  the  center  strip  of  parking. 
The  electric  light,  telephone,  railway  wires  are  all  strung  on 
poles  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  broad  streets,  between  the 
double  car  tracks. 

The  city  authorities  have  ordered  and  are  now  using  a  large 
number  of  new  sprinkling  carts  in  the  business  and  residence 
portions  of  the  city,  making  the  streets  most  delightful  for 
driving. 

Among  other  metropolitan  features  which  Salt  Lake  City 
possesses,  her  extensive  fire  alarm  system  and  very  efficient 
steam  fire  department  are  not  to  be  omitted,  nor  is  her  well 
disciplined,  finely  uniformed  and  highly  creditable  police  force, 
which  would  soon  amount  to  sixty  men.  Her  health  depart- 
ment is  a  very  efficient  one. 


SALT    LAKE    CITY    AS    A    RAILROAD    CENTER. 


CHAPTER   III. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY  AS  A  RAILROAD  CENTER. 

SALT  LAKE  is  the  best  provided  with  railway  connec- 
tion of  any  city  of  this  Inter  Mountain  country,  as  it 
has  direct  railway  connection  with  all  the  railroad 
towns  in  the  territory  indicated;  not  only  is  this  the  case,  but 
there  are  at  present  in  an  advanced  stage  of  development, 
railroads  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  San  Diego,  California,  to  Los 
Angeles,  California,  and  one  direct  to  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia, and  another  in  contemplation,  north  along  the  west 
side  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  into  Idaho,  which  will  give  her 
competing  lines  into  all  portions  of  her  tributary  Inter 
Mountain  country.  All  of  the  Inter  Mountain  lines  of  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad  have  been  consolidated  as  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  and  Utah  Northern,  with  general  offices  at  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  general  offices  of  the  Rio  Grande  Western, 
which  is  now  standard  gauge  its  entire  length,  and  forms  a  link 
in  the  Great  Trans-continental  Trunk  line,  have  been  removed 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  are  also  located  its  extensive  shops. 

The  Salt  Lake  and  Fort  Douglas,  the  Salt  Lake  and  Eastern 
and  the  Utah  Western  are  all  narrow  gauge  roads  which 
diverge  from  Salt  Lake,  distances  are  from  twenty  to  fifty 
miles,  with  contemplated  extensions  much  farther,  now  open 
for  direct  communication,  Salt  Lake  City  and  numerous  splen- 
did mining  localities  tributary  to  her. 

In  the  matter  of  development  Salt  Lake  City  is  progressing 
at  a  rate  and  with  a  degree  of  solidity  not  to  be  witnessed  in 
any  other  city  of  her  size.  On  the  i5th  of  April  there  were  in 
actual  construction  (to  say  nothing  of  almost  as  many  more 
decided  upon  or  in  contemplation)  no  less  than  twenty-seven 
business  blocks  and  manufacturing  establishments,  whose  total 


SALT    LAKE    CITY    AS    A    RAILROAD    CENTER. 


IN     SPANISH     FORK     CANON. 

cost  will  be  $2,625,000.  In  addition  to  this  amount  there  is 
now  being  expended  no  less  than  one  million  dollars  for 
private  residences.  Taking  the  business  and  public  buildings 
(excluding  a  new  city  hall  and  court  house  costing  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars)  the  manufacturing  establishments,  the 
various  public  improvements,  the  street  railway  extensions,  the 
railway  construction  and  other  forms  of  improvements,  there 
will  be  expended  in  Salt  Lake  City  during  the  present  season 
not  less  than  six  million  dollars  in  the  way  of  permanent 
improvements. 


22  SALT    LAKE   CITY    AS    A    RAILROAD    CENTER. 

There  has  already  passed  the  U.  S.  Senate  a  bill  appro- 
priating five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  a  federal  building  in 
this  city,  and  the  matter  is  now  pending  before  the  House. 

With  the  successful  efforts  now  being  put  forth  by  Salt  Lake 
City's  lively  and  energetic  people,  to  secure  manufacturing  and 
other  enterprises,  which  will  materially  develop  and  establish 
upon  a  firm  and  substantial  basis,  the  metropolis  of  this  Inter 
Mountain  Country,  there  is  now  no  better  city  in  which  to 
make  either  a  location  for  residence,  for  health  or  for  business, 
or  where  money  can  be  invested  with  greater  safety  and  more 
certainty  of  good  returns  than  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Contrary  to  the  ideas  which  have  apparently  prevailed  in 
certain  sections  of  the  country,  the  people  of  Salt  Lake  are  of 
very  sociable  and  very  thrifty  character  and  invite  new  acqui- 
sitions in  business  and  other  lines.  In  this  work  the  Gentiles, 
who  are  now  in  the  majority,  are  united  with  the  Mormons. 

For  persons  seeking  investments  in  mining  properties,  in 
agricultural  lands,  in  stock,  or  in  the  grazing  business,  the 
country  immediately  tributary  to  Salt  Lake  City  cannot  be 
equalled. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  Utah  and  its  adjacent  states  and 
territories  is  comparatively  unknown  and  practically  un- 
developed. Almost  daily  for  the  past  sixty  days  there  have 
been  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  Utah,  articles  of  incorporation 
for  some  new  mining  enterprise,  which  makes  its  headquarters 
in  Salt  Lake  City. 

As  the  wealthy  mine  owners,  stock  raisers,  etc.,  of  California 
have  made  their  residences  and  spend  their  money  at  San 
Francisco,  and  the  similar  classes  of  Colorado  do  the  same  at 
Denver,  just  so  do  the  mine  owners,  stock  raisers,  speculators 
and  investors  of  this  whole  Inter  Mountain  country  come  to 
Salt  Lake  City  to  reside,  to  secure  the  best  opportunities  for 
educating  their  children  and  to  enjoy  life  from  the  profits  of 
their  very  lucrative  properties. 


SALT    LAKE    CITY    AS    A    RAILROAD    CENTER. 


23 


OGDEN   CANON     NEAR     POWDER     DAM. 

Salt  Lake  City  is  just  now  entering  upon  an  era  of  substan- 
tial development  in  her  business  and  permanent  improvements 
and  steady  growth  in  her  realty  values,  which  promises  to  carry 
her  forward  without  interruption,  as  less  bountiful  resources 
in  a  very  short  time  developed  and  made  Denver  what  she  is 
and  all  she  promises  to  be.  Salt  Lake's  prospects  are  even 
brighter  than  were  those  of  Denver,  for  the  reason,  that  when 
Denver  was  Salt  Lake's  present  size,  the  means  and  the 
methods  for  the  rapid  growth  and  development  of  cities  were 
not  so  thorough  nor  so  quick  in  their  results  and  benefits  as 
are  those  with  which  Salt  Lake  is  now  adequately  provided. 
Her  railway  connections  both  east  and  west,  north  and  south, 
far  exceed  those  which  Denver  enjoyed  at  a  corresponding 


24  SALT    LAKE    CITY    AS   A    RAILROAD    CENTER. 

period  in  her  existence.  In  addition  to  the  resources  which 
were  common  to  Denver  and  are  now  to  Salt  Lake,  the  latter  city 
has,  as  a  very  potent  factor  to  her  future  growth  and  develop- 
ment, the  wonderful  Salt  Lake  and  her  other  splendid  summer 
attractions  and  health  resorts,  which  will  make  this  city 
second  to  no  other  in  the  country,  as  a  place  to  which  the 
wealthy  and  the  intelligent  people  of  our  country  will  make 
their  regular  pilgrimages.  Salt  Lake  City  is  beginning  to  rival 
some  of  the  better  known  summer  resorts  in  the  extreme 
Northern  states  and  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  for  the  reason  that 
all  of  the  attractions  to  be  found  separately  at  these  various 
summer  resorts  can  be  found  in  close  proximity  and  of 
superior  character  within  an  hour's  ride  of  Salt  Lake  City. 
Even  now,  wealthy  people  from  different  parts  of  the  country 
are  erecting  summer  cottages  on  the  Lake,  or  in  the  mountains 
close  by  Salt  Lake,  and  in  a  few  years,  without  any  question, 
the  Great  Salt  Lake  of  Utah,  with  its  unrivalled  attractions  of 
beautiful  mountain  scenery,  delightful  and  invigorating  bath- 
ing, splendid  boating  and  sailing,  will  rival,  in  the  number  of 
its  resorts,  extent  of  its  hotels  and  beauty  of  its  cottages,  lakes 
Minnetonka  and  Oconomowoc. 

Salt  Lake  City  with  its  remarkable  medicinal  and  thermal 
springs  will  be  the  Saratoga  of  the  West,  and  for  its  mountain 
trout  fishing,  delightful  camping  and  hunting,  will  have  no 
superior  anywhere  in  the  country.- 

There  is  no  place  to  which  the  tourist  or  pleasure  or  health 
seeker  can  turn  with  greater  assurance  of  finding  all  of  the 
attractions  for  which  he  could  wish,  and  will  be  afforded  him, 
than  are  to  be  found  here. 

Salt  Lake  City's  municipal  affairs  are  conducted  upon  a 
broad  gauge  but  an  entirely  economical  basis.  Her  total 
assessed  valuation  of  $16,611,752  is  only  about  one-fifth  of  the 
actual  value  of  the  property  it  represents.  Her  rate  of 
valuation  for  city  purposes  is  no  greater  than  for  territorial 


SALT    LAKE    CITY    AS    A    RAILROAD    CENTER.  25 

purposes.  Her  total  rate  for  general  taxation  is  only  one  cent 
and  seven  mills  on  each  dollar  of  assessed  valuation. 

With  a  total  of  sixteen  banks  and  a  capital  of  over  $4,000,000 
— on  May  ist,  1890,  Salt  Lake  is  the  strongest  financial  city 
of  her  size  in  this  country. 

With  two  well  conducted  morning  and  two  well  conducted 
evening  papers,  and  some  twenty  other  papers,  the  press  of 
Salt  Lake  City  is  well  represented,  and  does  the  city  much 
effective  work. 


26  THE    FUTURE    OF    SALT    LAKE    CITY. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    FUTURE   OF    SALT    LAKE   CITY. 

r)  the  seeker  after  investments,  profits,  or  a  business 
location,  no  city  presents  more  variety  or  greater  as- 
surance of  success  than  does  Salt  Lake  City.  At  no 
time  in  the  history  of  this  country  has  there  been  an  instance 
of  any  city  which  possessed  greater  certainty  of  a  grand  future 
than  does  Salt  Lake  City  to-day.  Her  location  is  most  fortun- 
ate, but  her  immediate  possibilities  and  prospects,  to  be  fully 
appreciated,  must  be  investigated.  Situated  as  she  is,  in  the 
very  heart  of  this  great  Inter  Mountain  country,  with  railroad 
communications  to  all  portions  that  have  been  in  any  way 
developed,  and  with  other  lines  to  undeveloped  parts  of  the 
same  in  contemplation  and  construction,  Salt  Lake  City 
occupies  a  position  which  has  given  her  absolute  control  of 
this  great  Inter  Mountain  country,  as  its  metropolis. 

Taking  Utah  as  a  basis,  with  her  250,000  people,  and  her 
wealth  of  127,000,000  of  dollars,  Salt  Lake  also  has  naturally 
tributary  to  her  all  the  vast  resources  of  northern  Arizona, 
Nevada,  southeastern  Oregon,  Idaho,  western  Wyoming  and 
western  Colorado,  a  country  in  extent  unequalled  by  that  which 
is  tributary  to  any  other  one  city  in  the  United  States.  That 
this  vast  and  wonderful  country  needs  a  metropolis,  and  that 
Salt  Lake  City  is  destined  to  be  that  metropolis,  are  set- 
tled and  established  facts.  The  hidden  wealth  with  which 
these  mountains  teem,  will  be  a  constant  source  of  revenue  to 
Salt  Lake — constant  because  these  precious  metals  are  to  be 
found  and  to  be  developed  at  any  time  of  any  year,  day  or 
night,  simply  by  the  application  of  the  rapidly  improving 
methods  for  developing  the  same.  This  wealth  is  not  suscepti- 
ble of  eradication  by  such  fickle  elements  as  lack  of  rain,  hot 
winds,  or  destructive  pests.  The  development  of  these 


GUNNISOK'S  BUTTE. 


28  THE    FUTURE    OF    SALT    LAKE    CITY. 

resources  will  create  and  sustain  a  most  desirable  market  for  a 
large  and  highly  prosperous  agricultural  and  industrial  com- 
munity, and  by  reason  of  the  great  cost  of  importing  across 
the  mountains  surrounding  this  Inter  Mountain  country,  agri- 
cultural productions  and  manufactured  goods,  there  are  afforded 
in  this  section  unexcelled  advantages  for  agriculture,  for  manu- 
facturing, and  for  industrial  enterprises.  These  various 
elements  in  the  makeup  of  this  Inter  Mountain  country  blend 
harmoniously,  and  provide  mutually  beneficial  trade  relations. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Utah  in  particular,  and  of  this 
Inter  Mountain  country  in  general,  cannot  be  appreciated,  much 
less  estimated,  as  their  development  is  yet  only  in  its  infancy, 
as  are  also  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  section  named.  All 
are  mutually  beneficial  to  each  other.  That  Salt  Lake  City  will 
develop  as  rapidly  and  as  greatly  as  has  Denver,  is  readily 
apparent  to  any  one  who  will  investigate  the  relative  resources 
of  the  two  cities.  When  Denver  was  the  present  size  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  about  50,000,  she  had,  as  her  own  territory,  a 
country  comprising  Wyoming,  Colorado  and  New  Mexico, 
with  mineral  wealth  only  upon  one  side  of  her  territory,  and 
with  a  much  more  limited  agricultural  and  grazing  country 
than  that  which  surrounds  Salt  Lake  in  all  directions,  as  do 
also  her  wonderful  mineral  resources.  By  the  time  Salt  Lake's 
tributary  territory  has  been  developed  to  the  degree  that 
Denver's  tributary  territory  is  at  the  present  time,  the  resources 
and  the  products  of  the  former  will,  by  careful  estimation  of 
practical  men,  be  fully  twice  as  great  as  are  those  of  the  latter 
city's  territory.  As  a  consequence  there  is  every  certainty  of 
the  constant  and  rapid  development  of  Salt  Lake  City  into  a 
metropolis  equaling,  if  not  excelling,  the  proud  record  made 
by  the  wonderful  city  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

Almost  every  known  mineral  or  mineral  product  which  can 
be  utilized  in  the  arts  and  sciences  is  to  be  found  in  Utah,  and 


TROUT  POOL  OGDEN  CANON. 


30  THE    FUTURE    OF    SALT    LAKE    CITY. 

in  the  adjacent  states  and  territories;  and  in  such  quantities 
and  so  located  as  to  be  susceptible  of  development  and  practi- 
cal application.  For  the  utilization  of  these  products  used  in 
the  lines  of  manufacturing,  Salt  Lake  City  presents  the  greatest 
possible  advantages.  She  has  in  easy  reach,  great  bodies  of 
iron  ore  of  a  high  grade  and  veins  of  coal,  which  for  coking 
and  general  manufacturing  purposes  are  not  excelled  by  even 
the  famous  Connellsville  coal  and  coke.  For  manufacturing 
purposes  of  a  lighter  nature  than  those  which  require  such 
large  quantities  of  fuel  for  smelting  and  refining  purposes, 
there  has  been  organized  in  this  city  a  company  which  will 
furnish  to  consumers,  at  purely  nominal  cost,  fuel  gas  for  light- 
ing, heating  and  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

Another  source  of  developing  power  for  industrial  purposes 
and  generating  light  for  domestic  and  public  uses,  is  found  in 
the  great  amount  of  water  power  in  the  several  creeks  which 
empty  out  of  the  mountain  canons  into  the  valley  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake  at  arid  near  Salt  Lake  City.  This  power  is 
practically  inexhaustible,  and  can  be  easily  utilized  and  turned 
to  great  profit,  not  only  to  the  city,  but  to  the  promoters  of 
such  an  enterprise  as  would  develop  the  same.  This  matter 
has  been  given  a  thorough  investigation  by  experts,  and  pro- 
nounced entirely  feasible.  A  company  is  now  forming  in  this 
city  for  the  purpose  of  utilizing  this  power. 

The  sources  of  small  and  diversified  industries  already  in 
operation  here,  the  electric  street  railways,  and  electric  light 
companies,  etc.,  etc.,  already  provide  ample  opportunity  for 
disposing  of  such  power  at  profitable  figures,  which  is  not  the 
case  in  any  other  city  in  this  great  Inter  Mountain  country. 

Already  there  are  daily  accessions  to  the  industrial  and  com- 
mercial institutions  of  Salt  Lake  City,  each  one  of  which  aids 
in  strengthening  Salt  Lake's  position  as  the  metropolis  of  the 
territory  indicated. 


THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE.  31 

CHAPTER  V. 

GREAT  SALT   LAKE. 

^  O  persons  in  search  of  pleasure  no  more  delightful 
place  can  be  found  than  Salt  Lake  City,  which  vvith- 
M.  out  exaggeration  excels  all  other  places  in  point  of 
variety,  diversity  and  excellent  character  of  its  various  kinds  of 
recreation  and  summer  resorts,  to  be  found  anywhere.  There 
is  no  other  city  in  this  country  which  has  such  a  variety  of 
summer  attractions  so  ready  of  access.  At  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
which  is  only  thirty  minutes  ride  from  the  city,  is  to  be  found 
salt  water  bathing  excelling  that  at  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific 
seaside  resorts.  There  are  two  beautiful  and  thoroughly 
equipped  bathing  resorts,  of  which  Lake  Park  on  the  Rio 
Grande  Western  Railroad  is  the  one  most  easy  of  access  and 
which  possesses  unexcelled  attractions.  By  the  beginning  of 
the  season  there  will  be  opened  two  more  first  class  resorts  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  rapidly  increasing  crowds,  who  daily 
throng  the  beautiful  white-sanded  beaches  of  this  inland  sea. 
The  Great  Salt  Lake  is  120  miles  in  length  by  60  miles  at  its 
greatest  width.  It  is  surrounded  by  beautiful  mountains  and  dot- 
ted with  picturesque  islands  of  various  sizes,  the  largest  contain- 
ing about  thirty  thousand  acres.  Pleasure  boats  of  all  sorts  and 
descriptions  ply  upon  the  lake  'and  afford  diversion  for  the 
numerous  visitors  to  this  great  summer  resort.  The  popularity 
of  these  resorts  is  evidenced  by  the  fact,  that  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  people  avail  themselves  of  the  pleasures 
of  a  bath  in  Salt  Lake  during  the  season,  between  the  middle 
of  May  and  the  middle  of  September.  The  specific  gravity  of 
these  waters  is  about  seventeen  per  cent,  greater  than  that  of 
the  Atlantic  Ocean's  waters,  and  they  carry  in  solution, 
according  to  the  season  of  the  year,  from  eighteen  to  twenty- 
two  percent,  of  salt.  During  the  mid-summer  afternoons  and 
evenings  these  waters  are  almost  lukewarm,  and  a  bath  after 


CASTLE  GATE. 


THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE.  33 


business  hours  is  not  only  restful  and  invigorating  but  has  also 
the  effect  of  a  tonic.  The  popularity  of  this  great  resort  has 
only  begun,  but  without  doubt,  as  its  superior  attractions 
become  more  generally  known  it  will  secure  deserved  recog- 
nition as  one  of  the  leading  summer  resorts  of  the  United 
States  and  must  become  a  strong  rival  to  the  more  expensive 
places  of  a  similar  character  upon  our  seaboards. 

The  mysterious  characteristics  of  this  great  inland  sea 
appeal  strongly  to  the  imagination.  In  this  connection  the 
following  verses  by  W.  E.  Pabor  may  be  very  appropriately 
quoted' 

Over  the  Oquirrh  ranges 

Pearly  clouds  of  softness  rest, 
Blending  with  the  rippling  changes 

On  great  Salt  Lake's  wave  swept  breast. 
In  the  sunset  I  am  roaming, 

Looking  out  across  the  deep 
Tideless  waves  that  in  the  gloaming 

Moan  as  if  in  dreamy  sleep. 

Locked  in  the  embrace  of  mountains, 

Whose  green  frontlets  watch  the  isles. 
Guarding  the  enchanted  fountains 

Where  a  siren  sits  and  smiles. 
Lake  of  mystery  and  wonder, 

Lake  of  silence  so  sublime, 
In  thy  depths  we  look  and  ponder 

On  the  strangest  gift  of  time. 

Lower  down  the  crimson  chamber 

Of  the  west  the  sunset  falls  ; 
Creamy  cumuli  of  amber 

Penciled  on  its  crystal  walls; 
Now  the  tints  change  into  umber, 

Twilight  shadows  creep  along 
Slowly,  like  the  sense  of  slumber, 

Through  the  solace  of  a  song. 


THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE.  35 

As  the  sunset's  charm  thrills  through  me, 

Musing  on  the  sand  swept  marge, 
Fancy  brings  a  boatman  to  me 

With  his  pearl-enameled  barge; 
And  he  bids  me  leave  the  highlands, 

With  their  shadow  and  their  stain, 
And  sail  with  him  to  the  islands 

Lying  in  the  azure  main. 

Farewell  now  to  all  things  human, 

In  the  boatman's  barge  I  stand, 
Trust  of  man  or  love  of  woman 

I  leave  on  the  shore  of  sand. 
Through  empurpled  mists  that  hover 

Round  the  islands  of  the  blest, 
In  the  sunset  I  go  over 

To  the  lotus  land  of  rest. 

The  lake  has  an  area  of  2,500  square  miles  and  its  surface  is 
higher  than  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  Its  mean  depth  is 
about  60  feet  and  numerous  small  islands  ornament  its  bosom, 
the  principal  of  which  are  the  Antelope  and  the  Stanbury.  At 
different  periods  the  revel  of  the  lake  has  changed  and  re- 
changed  most  perceptibly,  which  has  led  scientists  to  conjec- 
ture that  the  shore  land  was  by  no  means  stable.  It  compares 
with  other  bodies  of  saline  water  analytically  as  follows: 

WATER.  SOLIDS 

Atlantic  Ocean             .             .             .               96  5  3.5 

Mediterranean         .            .            .             .96.2  3.8 

Dead  Sea           .             .             .             .                76.0  24.0 

Great  Salt  Lake       .                          .                  86.0  14.0 

In  specific  gravity,  distilled  waterybeing  unity,  the  followin 
comparison  exists: 

Ocean  Water  .  10.27 

Dead  Sea  ......         11.16 

Great  Salt  Lake  ....  11.07 


THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE.  37 

This  feature  of  a  summer  resort,  together  with  the  splendid 
fresh  water  boating  and  bathing  which  are  afforded  at  Utah 
Lake,  (a  splendid  body  of  fresh  water  containing  125  square 
miles,  and  only  an  hour's  ride  south  of  the  city  by  rail,)  and 
the  delightful  hunting,  fishing  and  camping  in  the  mountains 
immediately  surrounding  Salt  Lake  City,  make  her  the  most 
desirable  summer  resort  to  be  found  anywhere.  There  is  no 
other  city  to  be  named  which  possesses  in  so  great  a  degree  the 
diversity  of  resorts  andrecreations  that  are  to  be  found  immediate- 
ly accessible  to  Salt  Lake  City.  And  this  fact  alone  is  the  source 
of  great  profit  to  Salt  Lake  City,  which  can  grow  and  develop 
as  a  summer  resort  in  the  same  degree  that  St.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis  grew  upon  the  strength  of  the  summer  attractions 
of  which  they  were  the  commercial  centers. 

After  a  day  spent  so  pleasantly  at  the  beach,  the  pleasure 
seeker  can  return  to  the  city  and  enjoy  the  cool,  bracing 
atmosphere  of  the  Salt  Lake  summer  night.  Should  he  desire 
to  wile  away  a  few  pleasant  hours  by  a  drive  about  the  city,  or 
into  the  beautiful  canons  close  by,  or  to  attend  the  theatre  or 
the  opera,  and  witness  the  presentation  of  the  standard  stage 
attractions  by  the  first  class  companies  of  the  country,  he  will 
have  that  privilege,  as  this  city  with  its  Grand  Opera  house  and 
the  Salt  Lake  theatre  is  recognized  as  the  greatest  amusement 
place  of  its  size  in  the  country. 


38  THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  CITY  OF  OGDEN. 

HE  City  of  Ogden  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  towns 
in  America.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in 

1.  Utah,  and  has  now  attained  the  dignity  of  quite  a 
metropolitan  city  with  20,000  inhabitants.  It  is  the  key  to  the 
railroad  situation  in  the  Inter  Mountain  region,  and  has  the 
trackage  and  terminals  of  the  seven  railroads  at  present  in  the 
Territory.  As  a  place  of  residence  Ogden  has  few  peers.  It 
nestles  at  the  base  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  several  of 
whose  peaks  reach  an  altitude  of  nearly  two  miles  above  sea 
level  and  tower  one  mile  above  the  city.  From  Salt  Lake  City 
to  Ogden  there  is  a  regular  procession  of  villages  with  Great 
Salt  Lake  plainly  in  sight  on  the  west  and  the  glorious  Wasatch 
range  rising  in  majestic  grandeur  on  the  east.  One  is  given  an 
entrancing  view  of  the  city  and  its  environs  immediately  upon 
arriving  at  the  handsome  new  Union  depot.  The  picture  is 
one  that  never  tires  the  eye  or  ceases  to  appeal  to  the  sense  of 
beauty.  The  mountains  rise  abruptly  from  the  eastern  and  north- 
ern limits  of  the  city  like  guardian  sentinels  shielding  the  people 
from  the  cold  blasts  of  the  north  and  the  rasping,  bone  search- 
ing currents  from  the  east.  The  city  gently  slopes  from  the  foot 
of  the  mountains  west  towards  the  great  lake,  its  western  lines 
reaching  within  a  short  distance  of  those  briny  waters  that  are 
so  near  the  point  of  saturation  that  nothing  that  has  life  can 
exist  in  them.  Two  rivers  flow  through  the  city.  The  Ogden 
and  the  Weber.  These  generous  streams  pour  from  two  canons 
with  similar  names.  They  are  celebrated  trout  streams, 
attracting  hundreds  of  visitors  every  year  who  "  whip  "  them 
for  miles,  and  are  rewarded  by  generous  "catches"  of  speckled 
beauties  that  gamely  rise  to  the  fly. 

Ogden  Cafion   is  directly  east  of  the  city.     The  water  in 


GATE  OF  LODORE. 


40  THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN. 


this  canon  is  as  pure  and  sparkling  as  any  water  ever 
quaffed  by  man.  From  this  store  of  living  waters  drained  from 
the  heart  of  the  mountains  the  city  gets  its  supply  of  water  for 
all  purposes.  It  is  in  abundance  throughout  the  year,  irrigat- 
ing countless  acres  of  the  must  fertile  land  in  the  world,  after 
supplying  the  city  with  liquid  comfort.  Standing  on  the  elevated 
plateau  east  of  the  city  one  has  a  splendid  view  of  a  most 
delightful  panorama,  composed  of  mountain,  lake,  valley,  city 
and  sky,  that  has  to  be  seen  to  be  fully  enjoyed.  There  is 
probably  no  spot  on  earth  where  all  the  elements  of  a  most 
lovely  picture  are  more  markedly  present.  It  seems  that  -in 
this  beautiful  city,  that  was  only  a  raw  village  a  few  years  ago, 
is  combined  the  essentials  for  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of 
men.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  most  lovely  and  fertile  region 
watered  by  several  of  the  most  romantic  and  bounteous  rivers 
in  the  Rockies.  It  has  an  atmosphere  that  is  almost  incom- 
parable, a  wealth  of  mineral  beyond  computation  and  a 
population  filled  with  energy,  business  pluck  and  broad  gauge 
effort.  The  varied  beauty  of  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  is  almost 
magical.  The  great  American  Dead  Sea  is  the  central  piece 
of  the  picture  as  viewed  from  the  heights  about  Ogden.  It  is 
so  near  the  city  that  one  feels  he  can  walk  to  it  in  a  few 
minutes.  Its  bold  islands  and  fringes  of  noble  mountains  stand 
out  in  blue-toned  beauty,  capped  with  eternal  snow.  In  the 
north  and  south  are  stretches  of  lovely  valley  and  glimpses  of 
lofty  mountains,  whose  snow-wrapped  peaks  loom  softly  against 
the  blue  background  of  rare  and  bracing  air.  On  specially 
clear  days  one  can  see  dimly  outlined  in  the  far,  far  west  the 
hazy  forms  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  The  valley  is 
equal  in  beauty  to  the  famous  vale  of  Cashmere,  and  is  as  fertile 
as  the  wildest  imagination  can  conceive.  It  is  one  vast  stretch 
of  farm,  garden  and  orchard,  watered  by  musical  streams  and 
dotted  with  pretty  villages  and  farm  houses.  The  city  is  about 
four  miles  square.  It  is  laid  off  at  right  angles.  The  streets  are 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN.  41 

broad  and  well  shaded  by  umbrageous  trees,  kept  in  splendid 
condition  by  the  sparkling  mountain  water  that  is  in  abundance 
in  every  part  of  the  town.  The  dwellings  of  the  people  are 
pretty  and  many  of  them  large  and  stylish.  It  does  the  eye  of 
the  traveler  good  to  ride  through  the  city  and  look  at  the  lovely 
lawns  and  beautiful  flowers.  In  the  spring  the  air  of  the 
residence  part  of  the  town  is  permeated  with  the  odor  of  violets 
and  new  mown  grass.  In  the  summer  the  abundance  of  roses 
and  other  flowers  perfume  the  atmosphere,  while  all  around  are 
trees  and  shrubbery  rejoicing  in  a  wealth  of  tender  foliage. 
The  city  has  several  parks  well  set  in  trees  and  beautiful 
grasses,  whose  smooth  lawns  invite  to  repose  and  refreshment 
during  the  warm  months.  The  drives  in  and  about  Ogden 
are  very  fine.  But  the  people  are  engaged  in  building  a  boule- 
vard this  summer  that  will  scarcely  find  an  equal  in  the  world. 
It  will  reach  from  the  lake  east  to  Ogden  Cafion  and  up  that 
grand  gorge  for  eight  or  nine  miles.  The  length  of  this  superb 
drive  will  be  about  twenty  miles.  For  the  most  part  of  its 
length  the  boulevard  will  command  the  view  of  valley,  lake  and 
mountain  above  mentioned.  The  business  part  of  the  city  is 
well  built  and  fully  equipped  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  vast 
stretch  of  agricultural  and  mineral  country  tributary  to  it. 
There  is  a  large  retail  and  wholesale  trade  centered  here,  which 
is  increasing  at  a  rate  that  indicates  a  great  future  for  this 
beautiful  mountain  city. 

Nature  has  done  a  great  deal  for  Ogden  and  its  immediate 
neighborhood.  Within  a  few  miles  of  the  city,  easy  of  access, 
are  beautiful  and  shady  parks  where  a  whole  day  or  afternoon 
can  be  passed  enjoyably.  North  of  the  city  are  the  Wasatch 
Mountains  whose  snow-capped  peaks  are  glorious  to  gaze 
upon,  radiant  in  the  interchangeable  garb  of  green  and  purple. 
These  mountains  loom  skyward  thousands  of  feet,  and  inter- 
mingle with  the  clouds,  presenting  a  sight  that  is  indeed 
enchanting.  From  the  top  of  Ogden  Mountain,  the  highest 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN. 


COLD  WATER  CANON. 

of  the  range,  the  country  for  hundreds  of  miles  around  is 
pictured  to  the  observer  with  a  clearness  and  distinctness  that 
when  objects  a  hundred  miles  away  are  pointed  out  and  the 
distance  stated,  words  of  surprise  and  astonishment  escape 
from  the  lips  of  the  entranced  beholder.  These  mountains 
besides  furnishing  such  excellent  views  and  means  of  observa- 
tion supply  many  attractions  for  the  geologist  and  seeker  after 
curiosities.  They  are  prolific  of  minerals  of  every  variety 
and  with  little  difficulty  beyond  the  tax  of  stooping  over,  the 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN.  43 

explorer  can  become  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  handsome 
specimens  of  minerals  designed  to  beautify  the  parlor  or  orna- 
ment the  sitting  and  dining  room. 

In  the  very  heart  of  the  Wasatch  range  of  mountains  is 
Ogden  Canon,  nine  miles  in  length,  which  is  an  entrancing 
spot  and  adapted  by  nature  to  cause  the  visitor  to  gaze  in  per- 
fect astonishment.  A  beautiful  driveway  and  footpath 
traverses  the  entire  distance  through  the  canon,  which  has  few 
superiors,  if  it  has  any  at  all,  for  the  stateliness  of  the  mount- 
ains, its  rush  of  waters  and  its  manifold  attractions.  The 
magnificent  mountains  towering  thousands  of  feet  high  are 
beautiful  to  behold.  In  many  places  the  formations  are 
chiseled  and  carved  out  through  exposure  to  the  elements  in 
manners  to  instill  one  with  the  belief  that  it  had  been  done  by 
human  hands.  The  canon  is  a  favorite  resort  for  the  people 
of  Ogden  and  tourists,  and  all  hours  throughout  the  day  the 
road  through  it  is  lined  with  people  on  foot  and  in  vehicles 
admiring  and  enjoying  the  greatest  of  giants  of  Nature's  own 
gift.  The  roar  of  the  restless  waters  of  the  great  falls  as  they 
empty  into  the  Ogden  River  strikes  the  visitor  with  awe,  and 
their  turbulency  and  swiftness  are  equal  to  the  rapids  of  the 
famous  St.  Lawrence  River.  This  vast  fall  of  water  is  soon  to 
be  utilized.  The  Ogden  Power  Company,  recently  organized 
through  the  efforts  of  one  of  the  leading  business  men  and 
capitalists  of  Ogden,  is  now  building  great  works  in  the  canon 
for  the  purpose  of  storing  the  water  to  be  utilized  for  driving 
the  machinery  in  all  parts  of  the  city  by  electricity.  The 
stock  is  owned  by  Ogden  and  San  Francisco  capitalists  to  the 
amount  of  $250,000.  It  is  a  great  work  and  one  that  future 
generations  will  thank  its  originator  for  having  handed  down 
to  them.  The  water  is  also  intended  to  furnish  power  for 
manufacturers,  and  electric  street  railways  which  are  projected 
and  will  soon  be  in  operation. 

Among  the  innumerable  attractions  of  the  canon  is  the  hot 
springs,  which  are  located  near  its  mouth.  The  water  is  suffi- 


44 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN. 


FALLS  IN  WHEELER'S  CANON. 

ciently  temperate  to  make  bathing  agreeable  and  pleasant. 
The  baths  are  free  to  everyone  and  are  liberally  patronized  and 
beneficial  results  are  invariably  the  case.  At  times  the  wind 
blows  down  the  canon  at  the  rate  of  sixty  miles  an  hour,  and 
one  caught  in  one  of  these  gales  enjoys  an  experience  that  is 
exhilarating  and  wildly  exciting.  It  is  a  pleasant  excitement 
though  and  in  the  exuberance  that  immediately  takes  posses- 
sion of  the  sightseer  induces  him  or  her,  to  greatly  enjoy  the 
flurry.  The  great  rapids  lash  and  splash,  and  their  roar  can 
be  heard  high  above  the  murmurings  of  the  wind.  They 
appear  to  laugh  with  merriment  as  they  dash  their  cool  and 
invigorating  spray  into  the  faces  of  those  perambulating  the 
banks  of  the  stream.  No  pen  can  describe  the  grandeur  and 
weirdness  of  Ogden  Canon.  It  must  be  seen  in  a  leisurely 
way  to  be  thoroughly  appreciated. 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN. 


The  winters  in  the  valley  are  not  long  and  the  cold  is  pleas- 
antly tempered  by  the  air  from  the  lake.  Although  Ogden  is 
4,300  feet  above  sea  level  it  rarely  experiences  very  low  temper- 
ature. In  the  hot  months  the  heat  is  tempered  by  mountain 
breezes  and  the  salt  air  from  the  lake.  The  nights  are  uniformly 
cool  and  pleasant.  These  facts,  with  its  perfect  drainage,  broad 
and  splendidly  shaded  streets,  pure  and  delicious  water,  render 
it  the  delight  of  the  tourist  and  the  happy  residence  of  a  busy 
and  prosperous  people. 

The  valley  is  wonderfully  productive  from  a  point  ten  miles 
north  of  Ogden  away  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  farms  in 
this  tract  of  country  are  among  the  most  valuable  acre  property 
in  the  world.  But  the  extreme  northern  end  of  the  valley  has 
heretofore  been  scantily  tilled,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  get- 
ting water  on  the  lands.  This  blot  on  an  otherwise  magnificent 
region  is  now  in  a  fair  way  to  be  wiped  out.  About  one  year 
ago  some  capitalists  conceived  the  design  of  a  great  canal  to 
irrigate  this  country,  something  like  500,000  acres.  They 
organized  and  stocked  an  enterprise  called  the  Bear  River 
Canal  Company,  bonded  it  for  $2,000,000,  surveyed  the  route 
and  through  contractors  started  the  work  last  summer.  Bear 
Lake  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  in  the  Wasatch  Mountains 
forty-five  miles  north  of  Ogden.  The  water  in  this  lake, 
which  is  six  by  thirty  miles  in  extent,  is  of  great  depth  and 
pureness.  It  is  supplied  by  mountain  streams  and  springs  and 
pours  its  surplus  water  into  Bear  River.  This  river  winds  its  tor- 
tuous course  through  the  canon  to  and  across  Salt  Lake  Valley, 
and  finally  pours  its  waters  into  the  great  Dead  Sea  of  America. 
The  waters  of  the  river  are  of  great  volume  and  inexhaustible. 
The  plan  contemplates  two  canals,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
river.  The  west  branch  debouches  from  the  Bear  River  Canon 
and  is  to  irrigate  the  lands  lying  at  the  northern  end  of  the 
valley  and  about  the  northern  arms  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 
The  east  branch  winds  along  the  high  bench  at  the  western 


46 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN. 


BUTTES  OF  THE  CROSS. 

base  of  the  Wasatch  range,  and  is  to  supply  the  land  as  far 
south  as  Ogden,  where,  if  there  be  no  use  for  the  surplus  water 
brought  to  this  point,  it  will  be  suffered  to  run  into  the  Ogden 
River.  The  work  is  well  under  way  with  a  fine  prospect  of 
being  finished  before  next  winter.  It  is  probable  that  no 
similar  work  of  its  magnitude  and  physical  difficulty  has  ever 
been  undertaken  in  the  United  States.  In  order  to  shorten 
distance  it  has  been  necessary  to  tunnel  hills,  blast  down  solid 
rocks  and  excavate  millions  of  tons  of  earth  on  mountain  sides. 
This  stupendous  enterprise  has  challenged  attention  all 
over  the  country.  Its  successful  completion  will  be  a  triumph 
for  American  brain  and  financial  pluck.  It  will  reclaim  land 
that  now  produces  only  sage  brush  and  scant  wild  grasses,  and 
which  will  be  worth  from  $2,000,000  to  $25,000,000.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  reclaimed  land  will  support  a  farming  popu- 
lation of  more  than  100,000  souls  and  will  soon  be  thrown 
open  to  settlement.  As  a  sort  of  supplement  to  the  irrigation 
scheme  the  company  has  contracted  with  the  city  of  Ogden  to 


THE    CITY    OF    OGDEN.  47 

supply  the  city  with  a  new  and  extensive  water  system  capable 
of  furnishing  water  for  a  city  of  nearly  200,000  people.  The 
work  of  laying  the  mains  will  be  completed  at  an  early  date 
this  summer. 

In  close  proximity  to  Ogden,  and  easy  of  access,  are  many 
attractions  and  pleasant  resorts  for  excursion  parties,  and  in 
the  proper  season  they  are  extensively  patronized.  An  enjoy- 
able spot,  where  one  can  find  quick  and  permanent  relief  and 
cure  for  the  many  maladies  the  human  form  is  heir  to,  is  the 
Utah  Hot  Springs  nine  miles  distant  from  Ogden.  The  waters 
are  thoroughly  impregnated  with  iron  and  other  health 
restoring  minerals,  and  pour  forth  in  great  volumes  from  the 
earth  at  a  temperature  of  125  degrees.  They  are  quite  salt, 
but  not  unpleasant  to  the  taste,  and  but  few  people  are  able  to 
undergo  the  first  bath  owing  to  the  intense  warmth  of  the 
waters.  However,  the  bather  quickly  becomes  accustomed  to 
the  waters,  and  the  place  is  furnished  with  every  convenience 
to  assure  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  the  patron.  The 
waters  contain  such  ingredients  as  chloride  of  sodium,  iron, 
magnesia  and  nitre,  in  strong  solution,  and  for  rheumatic 
troubles  and  blood  diseases  cannot  be  surpassed.  Additional 
improvements  are  contemplated,  and  men  will  be  put  at  work 
shortly  improving  the  already  handsome  hotel.  Near  by  the 
springs  is  a  mile  track,  which  is  the  finest  and  speediest  in  the 
country,  and  a  summer  meeting  for  large  purses  will  be  held. 

The  country  around  Ogden  is  wonderfully  productive.  The 
lands  yield  in  wheat  from  40  to  80  bushels  to  the  acre  and 
other  cereal  crops  in  proportion.  The  hay  crop  is  immense 
and  pays  handsomely.  Farmers  manage  to  cut  three  crops  of 
alfalfa  each  season.  The  country  in  this  part  of  the  valley  is 
also  a  great  fruit  growing  region.  Peaches,  pears,  apples, 
grapes,  apricots,  etc.,  do  exceedingly  well,  and  the  fruit  is  of  a 
delicious  flavor.  The  yield  in  potatoes  is  almost  beyond  belief. 
It  is  a  common  thing  for  the  best  lands  to  produce  from  600 
to  800  bushels  to  the  acre,  while  the  most  indifferent  soil  easily 


THE    CITY    OF    OGUEN. 


EARLY  MORNING  ON  OGDEN  RIVER. 

produces  400  bushels  per  acre.  The  market  for  all  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  valley  is  found  in  the  numerous  cities  and 
mining  camps  of  Utah  and  neighboring  states  and  territories. 
The  prices  realized  are  always  good,  which  insures  the  farmer 
good  returns  for  his  labor.  All  crops  are  raised  by  irrigation. 
Such  a  thing  as  crop  failure  has  never  been  known  in  the 
valley. 


SCENERY    OF    UTAH.  49 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SCENERY   OF   UTAH. 
HE  scenery  of  Utah  is  grand  and  picturesque,  abound- 


ing in  strong  contrasts  and  startling  changes.  Moun- 
tain and  valley,  lake  and  forest,  alternate  in  bewildering 
beauty.  As  one  approaches  from  the  East  via  the  Denver  & 
Rio  Grande  Railroad  the  scenery  is  wonderfully  varied  and 
attractive.  In  a  book  devoted  to  Utah  it  would  hardly  be  ap- 
propriate to  describe  at  length  the  scenery  on  the  Rio  Grande 
Railroad  in  Colorado,  but  those  who  approach  Salt  Lake  City 
or  Ogden  from  the  east  will  have  the  pleasure  of  passing 
through  this  scenery,  including  the  Royal  Gorge,  Grand  Canon 
of  the  Arkansas,  Marshall  Pass  and  Black  Canon,  and  will 
have  the  privilege  of  beholding  Pike's  Peak,  the  Collegiate 
Range,  the  Sangre  de  Cristo  and  Mounts  Ouray  and  Shaveno 
— therefore,  this  brief  mention  may  not  be  considered  out  of 
place. 

At  Grand  Junction  the  Gunnison  River  joins  the  Grand, 
which  flows  through  a  fertile  valley  where  numerous  farms  have 
been  located  and  a  considerable  city  has  grown  up.  A  few 
miles  beyond  Grand  Junction  the  Colorado  line  is  passed  and 
the  traveler  is  in  Utah,  and  the  railroad  is  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Company.  The  scenery  for 
the  next  hundred  miles  has  grandeur  enough  in  variety  to  make 
it  interesting.  The  Book  Cliffs,  which  are  a  richly  colored  and 
peculiar  formation,  are  followed  for  some  distance,  while  to  the 
southward  rise  the  snowy  groups  of  the  Sierra  la  Sal  and  San 
Rafael  Mountains.  Green  River,  which  goes  to  form  the  Rio 
Colorado,  is  soon  passed  with  its  swift  flowing  current  which 
comes  from  far  up  in  the  Yellowstone  Park  and  finally  mingles, 
after  wandering  2,000  miles,  with  the  waters  of  the  Pacific. 


SCENERY  OF  UTAH.  51 


From  where  the  road  crosses  Green  River,  may  be  seen  in  the 
distance  the  summits  of  the  broken  walls  that  form  the  grand 
canon  of  the  Colorado  fifty  miles  away.  Soon  the  peaks  of  the 
Wasatch  rise  beyond  Castle  Valley.  The  scenery  becomes 
more  picturesque  and  the  beautiful  in  nature  again  appears  as 
we  approach  Castle  gate  at  the  entrance  of  Price  river  canon. 
This  bold  and  striking  rock  formation  is  similar  in  many 
respects  to  the  gateway  of  the  Garden  of  the  Gods.  The  two 
huge  pillars  or  ledges  of  rock  composing  it  are  offshoots  of  the 
cliffs  behind.  They  are  of  different  heights,  one  measuring 
five  hundred  and  the  other  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from 
top  to  base.  They  are  richly  dyed  with  red  and  the  firs  and 
pines  growing  about  them,  but  reaching  only  to  their  lower 
strata,  render  this  coloring  more  noticeable  and  beautiful.  Be- 
tween the  two  sharp  promontories,  which  are  separated  only 
by  a  narrow  space,  the  river  and  the  railroad  both  run,  one 
pressing  closely  against  the  other.  The  stream  leaps  over  a 
rocky  bed  and  its  banks  are  lined  with  tangled  brush.  The 
turreted  rocks,  the  rushing  stream  and  the  darkling  canon 
bring  forcibly  to  mind  that  wonderful  dream  of  Coleridge: 

"In  Xanadn  did  Kubla  Khan 
A  stately  pleasure-dome  decree; 
Where  Alph,  the  sacred  river,  ran 
Through  caverns  measureless  to  man, 

Down  to  a  sunless  sea. 
So  twice  five  miles  of  fertile  ground 

With  walls  and  towers  were  girdled  round; 
And  here  were  gardens  bright  with  sinuous  rills, 

Where  blossom'd  many  an  incense-bearing  tree; 
And  here  were  forests  ancient  as  the  hills, 

Infolding  sunny  spots  of  greenery." 

Once  past  the  gate,  and  looking  back,  the  bold  headlands 
forming  it  have  a  new  and  more  attractive  beauty.  They  are 
higher  and  more  massive,  it  seems,  than  when  we  were  in  their 
shadow.  Huge  rocks  project  far  out  from  their  perpendicular 


WINNIE'S  GROTTO. 


SCENERY    OF    UTAH.  53 


faces.  No  other  isolated  pinnacles  in  this  region  approach 
them  in  size  or  majesty.  They  are  landmarks  up  and  down 
the  canon,  their  lofty  tops  catching  the  eye  before  their  bases 
are  discovered 

The  impression  made  by  these  remarkable  monoliths  is  best 
conveyed  by  the  following  poem: 

"  Stand,  stranger,  stand.     The  castle  gate 

Through  which  you  pass  to  fairy  land 
Is  mine  to  guard.     What  happy  fate 

Bids  you  within  its  border  ?     Stand!" 

Warder  of  this  stately  castle, 

Stay  the  menace  of  your  hand. 
I  am  but  a  simple  singer 

Singing  songs  throughout  the  land. 
Through  the  time-stained  rugged  portals 

I  can  catch  a  glimpse  afar, 
Where  the  light  shines  on  the  woodland 

Like  the  light  of  the  morning  star. 

Let  me  pass,  O,  stern-faced  warder, 

Through  the  wondrous  castle  gate; 
Let  me  walk  within  the  garden 

Led  by  fancy  and  by  fate. 
For  the  sunlight  and  the  moonlight 

And  the  starlight,  as  they  fall, 
Seem  replete  with  happy  fancies 

Making  pictures  on  the  wall. 

Gateway  to  a  happy  valley, 

Open  wide  and  let  my  feet 
Wander  in  the  flowery  meadows 

Where  the  shining  waters  meet. 
Frowning  cliffs  lift  up  to  front  me, 

Sunset  hues  the  rocks  that  rise, 
But  my  eyes  have  caught  a  vision 

Of  green  fields  and  violet  skies. 


54  SCENERY    OF    UTAH. 


Lying  over  Soldier  Summit 

In  the  valley  of  the  West, 
With  the  bloom  and  blush  of  Eden 

Lying  softly  on  their  breast, 
Vales  of  splendor,  vales  of  beauty, 

Meet  to  melt  a  heart  of  stone; 
Vale  of  Tempe  pales  in  glory 

When  beside  thy  brightness  shown. 

Other  lips  have  uttered  fancies, 

Other  eyes  on  thee  have  shone, 
Other  feet  have  walked  these  meadows, 

Passing  through  the  gate  of  stone. 
But  my  lips  can  not  keep  silence, 

Or  my  eyes  their  rapture  bate, 
As  they  catch  a  glimpse  of  Eden 
Through  the  cliff  crowned  Castle  Gate. 

"  Pass,  stranger,  pass,  the  olden  time 

Was  full  of  song  of  mirth  and  cheer; 
Sing  any  song  that  suits  your  rhyme, 

And  let  it  echo  round  the  year." 

Beyond  the  gateway  weird  and  fantastic  rock  formations 
abound  like  bastions,  battlements  and  castles.  Rock  pinnacles 
rise  on  every  hand  in  massive  majesty.  The  road  runs  along 
the  banks  of  the  river  which  is  never  lost  sight  of.  A  well- 
worn  wagon  road  follows  the  canon,  and  it  was  through  this 
pass  that  Albert  Sydney  Johnston  led  his  army  on  his  return 
from  Utah.  The  scene  is  one  to  delight  the  eye  of  the  artist 
as  the  shadows  gather  in  the  depths  of  the  canon  and  the  sun 
gilds  the  towering  heights.  Through  Spanish  Peak,  a  depres- 
sion in  the  range,  one  can  seethe  heights  of  Mount  Nebo  over- 
looking the  "  Promised  Land,"  and  suddenly,  the  train  darting 
out  into  the  Utah  valley,  there  lies  spread  out  before  the  trav- 
eler the  land  which  the  Mormons  have  made  to  blossom  as  the 
rose.  It  is  a  scene  of  Arcadian  beauty,  as  the  setting  sun 
rests  upon  the  meadow  lands  the  tinkle  of  the  cowbells  is 
heard.  The  train  rolls  rapidly  by  thrifty  farm  houses,  fields 


SCENERY    OF    UTAH. 


55 


WATERFALL  CANON. 

green  with  alfalfa,  across  irrigating  ditches  that  make  peren- 
nial spring  time. 

Utah  Lake  lies  in  the  center  of  the  valley  of  the  same  name. 
It  is  a  picturesque  sheet  of  clear,  fresh  water,  to  the  north  of 
which  lie  the  Mormon  towns  of  Provo  and  Springville.  The 
scene  is  an  entrancing  one.  Eastward  the  oblong  basin  is 
shut  in  by  the  Wasatch  mountains,  and  on  the  West  is  the 


56  SCENERY    OF    UTAH. 


Oquirrh  Range.  Northward  are  low  hills,  or  mesas,  crossing 
the  valley  and  separating  it  from  that  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
while  in  the  south,  the  east  and  west  ranges  approach  each 
other  and  form  blue-tinted  walls  of  uneven  shape.  To  the 
left  of  this  barrier,  Mount  Nebo,  highest  and  grandest  of  the 
Utah  peaks,  rises  majestically  above  all  surroundings.  Its 
summit  sparkles  with  snow,  and  its  lower  slopes  are  wooded 
and  soft,  while  from  it  and  extending  north  and  south  run  vast, 
broken  vari-colored  confreres.  The  valley  is  like  a  well-kept 
garden;  farm  joins  farm;  crystal  streams  water  it,  and  scat- 
tered about  in  rich  profusion  are  long  lines  of  fruit  trees,  amid' 
which  are  trim  white  houses.  Salt  Lake  City  is  visible  and  be- 
yond slumber  the  waters  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 

The  scenery  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  and  that  between  Salt 
Lake  City  and  Ogden,  including  the  canons  and  mountains  in 
that  vicinity,  have  been  described  in  another  place,  therefore, 
suffice  it  to  say  that  for  variety,  beauty  and  grandeur  the 
scenery  of  Utah  is  unrivalled. 


Rio 
GRANDE 
WESTERN 

RAILWAY 


